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Backs : Full Back : Winger : Centre : Fly Half : Scrum Half
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Winger Positional Guide

POSITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
General
Chosen for flair, speed and elusiveness, a winger must also be reliable in defence and be able to kick and to deal with opposition  kicks. Wingers must have a high work rate and go looking for the ball if it isn’t coming in their direction. They should be able to read the game and anticipate what happens next.

Attack
The winger should have excellent handling skills, should be able to beat opponents by speed, change of pace, evasion and hand-off. He should be able to keep the ball alive
by either taking a tackle and passing the ball to a supporting player, or staying on his feet as long as possible, or by initiating a counter attack with his other wing and/or full back. The winger should have excellent ball retention skills on contact and must contribute fully to maul, ruck and tackle situations.

Defence
Defensively, from the scrum and lineout, the open-side wing may stand wide and deep to ensure that if the opposition kick diagonally, he will be able to gather the kick more easily. However, once the ball has gone through the attacking fly half ’s hands, he must rapidly move forward to be in a position to tackle in conjunction with his outside centre. Alternatively, the open-side wing could operate flat with his centres from the beginning. As a blind-side wing, he must understand his role in conjunction with his own back row and scrum half when defending in the 22 metre area and be prepared to cover across field if the attack goes open.

Receiving
Numbers 14 and 11 should be able to field a variety of diagonal, high or grubber kicks.

Kicking
To deal with opposition kicks by kicking clear to touch, by kicking long into opposition territory or by initiating a counter attack with the full back and/or other wing/centres.

Practices
Technique and Skill
• Practise, against opposition under varying pressure, taking a pass and then:
- Running with the ball at pace;
- Evading the opposition by change of pace, change of direction, sidestep and swerve;
- Passing to support;
- Chipping and chasing;
- Making the ball available in a tackle.
• Practise, under varying pressure, both moving towards and away from his own line, fielding high balls into the box and diagonal, rolling balls to the wing.  Learn how to preserve space, pull defenders in and then swerve outwards to beat the defender (or
pass to a looping support player).

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